C H E C K

S E C U R I T Y

Car theft is a highly profitable and low-risk illegal industry that is now a very serious problem.

Cars are stolen for a variety of reasons

Joy riding

Transport home for the thief

Use in crimes, such as burglaries or robberies

Broken up for the parts to be sold on

Specialist high value vehicles which are stolen to order and often shipped abroad..

A professional car thief can steal almost any car. If your car is desirable, like a sports car or top of the range luxury car it is unlikely anything will stop him taking it. but if your car is popular model and a thief likely to find another similar one down the road, and you take precautions with your car you can convince him to move on and take the other one. The secret to success is to make your car difficult to steal. Speed is his main ally and, if you take it away from him, he'll likely give up on your car and go after another

Basic Precautions

• Remove your keys from the ignition and take your keys with you.
• Lock your vehicle.
• Never hide a second set of keys in your vehicle.
• Park in attended lots.
• If you park in an attended lot, leave only the ignition/door key.
• Park in well-lighted areas.
• Never leave your vehicle running, even if you will only be gone for a minute.
• Completely close all vehicle windows when parking.
• Do not leave valuables in plain sight.
• Park with your wheels turned towards the curb to make your vehicle more difficult to tow away.
• If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, backing into your driveway will also make it more difficult for a thief to tow it away.
• Garage your vehicle if you have one and always remember to lock the garage door.
• Do not leave the registration or title in your vehicle.
• Always use your emergency brake when parking, which ensures safety and also makes it difficult for a thief to tow your vehicle away.
• Etch your vehicle identification number on car windows and major parts. This procedure makes vehicles and parts more easily traceable when stolen.
• Disable your vehicle when leaving it unattended for an extended period of time.
• Engrave expensive accessories like car stereos, cellular phones, compact disc changers, external speakers, etc., so that the thief will have difficulty disposing of them.
• Drop business cards, address labels or other identification inside vehicle doors to help assist law enforcement in identifying your vehicle or parts.
• Replace easily accessible door lock assemblies.
• Install an antitheft device or system on your vehicle as an extra deterrent measure.
• Specialist high value vehicles which are stolen to order and often shipped abroad. These cars are more regularly stolen by burglars sneaking or breaking into people's homes and stealing their car keys, then their vehicle. People can help themselves by keeping their car keys away from windows or doors and out of sight and reach. At night car keys should be left on the bedside table, not downstairs.